Cloud Syndrome
by 4thFromTheFurnace
Summary: "It was my fault.  I should have held on a little longer." his head fell into his hands.  She bit her lip and swallowed hard, "Yusei...what if it was me?"   -YuseixAki-


**Forgive the long wait, everyone! This is the one accompanying bonus fanfiction for the winning last poll. The other stories promised may take a while due to complete hard drive failure. So, please forgive the delay in advance. Spoiler warning for episode 117. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds or Final Fantasy VII, from which I derived the name of the fanfiction.**

The dust floated around aimlessly, accompanied by the musty but encouraging wooden smell from around the room. The polished wood felt cold and hard against his legs. The sheer rigidity and icy feeling seeped through his pant legs and traveled straight up his spine, initiating a painful shudder and causing the hairs at the back of his neck to shiver. His hands clenched into fists inside his gloves, the tenseness of his nerves radiating through his fingers. He gritted his teeth as they almost chattered together, his eyes in an unshakable tremor.

Why? Why couldn't he do it? Why on Earth couldn't he save her? He wasn't strong enough. If only he had held on a little bit longer. Then she would still be here. It was his fault.

His head fell into his hands as a paining groan escaped his lips. What could he do? Nothing. He could do nothing. Not anymore. He was useless.

He could feel the sweat accumulating on his forehead, his raven hair beginning to become wet and matted. His shoulders shook, his spine throbbing in pain as all his nerves stood on end. His dark eyebrows furrowed over his face, the muscles in his jaw tensing like iron. Vaguely, he could hear the heels softly clacking against the hardwood floor. When the footsteps stopped, he bit his lip, waiting, having fully deduced who it was long ago.

"Yusei…"

The duelist let out a soft gasp, his shoulders slightly jumping at the sound of her voice. His azure eyes opened just enough to see his palms shaking before he buried his head in his hands. He knew it was her, yet, he didn't want her to see him like this. He said nothing.

There was a somewhat pregnant pause before her lungs released a sigh. Yusei could hear the footsteps again; and there were only two possibilities. She was either coming closer or leaving. He silently hoped it was the latter. He really didn't want her to see him like this.

However, once again, probability wasn't in his favor. The wooden pew creaked as she sat down a couple feet away from him. She didn't speak, neither of them did. Not for a long time. Her eyes stood fixed on her hands that were folded neatly in her lap. The silence wasn't awkward, no, just heavy. By now, silence between the two was nothing new, and both came to expect it. It was as if they already understood each other, and only used words when absolutely necessary.

This silence was a bit different. It was expectant. There was a certain amount of understanding, but something needed to be said in order to reach any resolution. Yusei could feel the uncomfortable urging feeling to speak rising up from the depths of his stomach. He had to fight it. He couldn't tell her.

"Yusei…" she prompted, her voice soft and encouraging. He bit his lip. A breath escaped his mouth as he quietly uttered, "I know."

He could hear the compassion in her voice, "Yusei, everyone's waiting for you."

The young man tightened his fists again, "Aki…It's all my fault."

Her face puckered, clearly confused mixed with compassion and pain. She waited silently for him to explain, content to sit there until he was ready. He opened his eyes slightly, his stare fixed on the floor as he avoided her gaze, "I can't…I failed."

Yusei heaved a heavy sigh and continued, "It's Sherry. She's gone."

Aki's frown deepened. Her gaze shifted to look at him, "Yusei…you can't blame yourself. You couldn't do anything."

The riding duelist gritted his teeth, "No, I could have held on. I could have saved her."

Aki's eyes narrowed. After all this time, the last time she saw him like this was when he found out what happened to Kiryu. Only this time, he was worse. And it drove her crazy.

"Yusei, it won't do any good to feel sorry for yourself."

Her firm but patient voice didn't seem to do any good. He shook his head. She pursed her lips, "Yusei, you've been in here for two hours, yet you sit here and do nothing. If you really care that much, shouldn't you be trying to figure out a way to save her?"

He shook his head again, his bangs hanging over his eyes, "It's no use, Aki. She's gone."

The redhead was silent for a moment before she reached her hand out to touch his leg, but decided against it and held her gaze in her lap. She closed her eyelids, "You don't usually give up this easily."

When she lifted her stare, she could see his hands trembling. His voice nearly shook as he spoke, "I watched her, Aki. I watched her fall into the abyss. That world is completely different from ours. There's no way she could've come back. I lost her."

This time, the girl's frown was filled with more than just concern. Why was he so bent on Sherry? Was she…that important to him? Her heart burned. She hated this nagging pain, but she felt as though she couldn't help herself. Feeling a good bit tenser than before, she got up hastily, speaking to her companion one more time in an icy defensive tone, "Really, Yusei, maybe sometimes you should look around at what you DO have instead of wallowing in a pitiful pile of regret when stuff doesn't go your way. You're such a child."

For the first time, Yusei's azure eyes widened and he looked up as she stomped past him. Fighting against himself for a moment, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to turn around to face him. Her hair whipped against her face when she turned around, a look of defensive suffering on her face, the look of one betrayed. She bit her lip fiercely as she tried to fight back the salty flood brimming at her eyelids.

Her voice cracked as she fought back her sobs, "What if it was me, Yusei? What if I had been the one that was lost to the abyss in that world?"

Yusei froze, his hand still clinging weakly to her wrist. What did she…? He could barely form words with his mouth, his throat dry and rasping, "Aki…"

Having let out her steam, Aki's shoulders drooped as a sob escaped her mouth. Her free hand rose to cover her eyes. Yusei's stare dropped to the floor once again, his expression completely perplexed, "Aki…"

She jerked her arm away from him and turned to run, failing when she felt him catch her other arm. Refusing to turn to face him, she let out another sob. He called out again, a worried tone in his voice, "Aki…"

Her voice was choppy and she could barely let out more than a whisper, "Yusei…please don't."

His hand tightened on her arm as he softly enquired, "How did you know…that I'd be here?"

Aki took a breath and answered coldly but truthfully, still refusing to look at him, "That was easy. With how you felt, I knew you'd be looking for a sanctuary. A solace. You were always the one to save people, Yusei, so I knew that right now you feel like you're the one that needs salvation. That's why you would be here."

She knew him too well. He was silent, assuring her that she was indeed, correct. She sighed, "So did you find it?"

He blinked a few times, his brain failing to comprehend what she meant. At the long string of silence, she gave a frustrated sigh and elaborated, "Salvation."

Yusei frowned slightly, "I…don't know."

Her next sentence shot him right in the heart, "Well maybe you would find it if you weren't so busy feeling sorry for yourself."

"Aki…I…"

If possible, the girl's voice grew even colder, "Don't worry. I won't make you think so hard anymore. I already know who's most important to you."

With that, she made a motion to leave, but Yusei's grip only grew tighter as he tugged her towards him, once again forcing her to look at him. His eyes had become a steely blue, rock firm and determined. They still held sadness, but there was a clear sign of resolve that came from deep inside.

"Aki. About your question…if-"

She cut him off, "Don't mind the question, Yusei, it was wrong of me to say anything."

Yusei's face conflicted with his brain. The redhead wrested her arm away from the Satellite and began to walk away. Yusei knew that if he let her go now, a rift may develop between them that could never be remedied. He couldn't let her leave like this. In a moment of desperation, he bit the inside of his cheek and clenched his fists. He couldn't let her do that.

"AKI! If it was you, I would need Salvation a hundred times over just to keep me from throwing the rest of my life away!" he called out, his voice holding a mix of the tenderness he had when he spoke only to her and the ferocity he had when he called on Stardust Dragon.

She nearly stopped mid-step. Aki didn't move, not at all. She knew that if she turned to face him, he would probably walk past her and out the door with his poker face as if nothing happened. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to leave, either. It was only a moment's eternity of silence until she heard it. Footsteps. Coming closer. They were agonizingly slow, but the sound of his boots was unmistakable.

Finally, the footsteps ceased directly behind her. He said nothing, but she could see and feel his shadow on her back. His voice close to her ear nearly sent chills up her spine, "Aki…I'm sorry. It's hard. I watched a human life literally slip through my fingers when I could've saved her. You have no idea what it would have been like for me if it was you in her place. Because, I…"

"I don't understand." Her words came as a half-sob. She nearly choked as her tears began again. Yusei was always so honest and kind and noble, it wouldn't have been a surprise if he HAD fallen for Sherry. Tears slowly made trails down her cheeks as she thought about it. Suddenly, a pair of solid arms enclosed themselves around her from behind and pulled her backwards into him. She gasped as her weight fell back against the muscled chest of the Satellite's Shooting Star. He let out a light grunt as she fell against him, but simply wrapped his arms around her tighter. Her words hitched in her throat as he leaned his face to touch her hair.

"Please, Aki. Don't make me think about something like that. I know. I know that right now, you feel the exact same way I do. You feel pity…for yourself. And, if you want me to seek Salvation through this, then you have to as well."

Finally, she began to weep out loud, her sobs no longer trying to hide behind a mask of composure. His embrace on her tautened and he leaned his chin on top of her head. She couldn't take it anymore. She turned around in his arms and grasped his shirt as she wailed in his chest. His grasp on her forced her flush into him as he began to stroke her hair with one hand.

Yusei was right. She did feel sorry for herself. After everything with Sherry and seeing Yusei like this, she felt inadequate. So many more feelings rushed around in her head, giving no verbal words to how she felt.

A soft hush came from her companion's mouth, encouraging her yet not forcing her to stop. It was more of an expression of agreement, as if she was the voice for his emotions as well. Her breathing became heavy as her sobs slowed. She sniffled and hiccupped softly every now and then, still trying to slow her breaths.

A soft smile crossed his face as she dabbed her eyes on his shirt. His hand moved to tilt her chin upward to look into his eyes, "Thank you."

Yusei then wiped the remaining tears from her eyes with his thumb. She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned into his touch, "Yusei…why are you thanking me?"

His hand lingered on her face as his other arm stayed secure around her waist. His small, comforting smile shifted into something more genuine and heartwarming, "For waking me up."

A tiny hint of a smile spread on her face, "Yusei…it wasn't me."

Suddenly, she felt his hand on her jaw bringing her forward. His piercing eyes held her in a trance. He didn't speak, but his eyes spoke volumes. But she wasn't going to see them for the next minute or so. Her eyes slowly closed as he drew her in until her lips flushed against his. It was something deep and pure. Something comforting and everlasting, a small promise in flesh. Once again, she began to cry. He pulled back only enough for them to separate before he kissed her again, reassuring her of this promise and, honestly, enjoying the warmth and softness of her lips.

He released a slight awkward laugh, "Aki…I made you cry again…"

She shook her head, her face rosy with more than tears, "Y-Yusei…"

Aki's eyes found the floor, barely regaining her ability to speak. He encircled his arms around her to embrace her once more, leaning his head on her shoulder.

The golden evening sun wafted in through the giant window at the front of the room, bathing them both in the warmth of the light.

"Yusei…you know, He would grant you Salvation a hundred times if you really needed it that bad."

"Yeah, I know."

**This one came to me after watching episode 117. It kinda made me more than a little disgruntled about how distraught Yusei was about Sherry. He acted so much like Cloud did with the whole Aeris thing. My thought was, "Oh no, he has the Cloud disease." Thus how I came up with the title! So the whole thing made me wonder how Aki would react to all this. Hence, this fic was the result. Tootles, everyone! God bless and I'm still praying for ya! -Cheeseball out-**


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